Category: Principal Weekly Update Archives

Principal’s Weekly Update

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.  (Luke 21:33)

LET’S LOOK AT THIS WEEK IN REVIEW:

• Monday, we began the week with our Book Fair.  There was a lot of excitement in the building!
• School Mass was on Tuesday morning.  Thank you very much to Fr. Michael for presiding.  This Mass, we had our Kindergarten students join us for the first time too.  Their Gr. 8 buddies were very helpful!
• Pizza lunch was on Wednesday for those students who ordered.
• Wednesday and Thursday were our Parent Teacher Interviews.  It was wonderful to have parents back in the building again. 😊
• Today was also our Used Uniform Sale.  A special thank you to Rebecca Gietz, our used uniform coordinator, and her team of volunteers for making this sale happen.
• Today was also our Staff Appreciation Lunch hosted by the Grs. 6C & 6V families.  It was amazing!!  Thank you so very much to our Class Reps for organizing this event as well, Monica Ruiz, Amber Hemminger, and Candace Taylorson.  You did a terrific job!  Everything was delicious, and there were a lot of smiling staff in the staffroom today!
• Friday is an Inservice day, no school.  Teaching staff are participating in MTS PD Day. 

*A very special thank you to Amanda Ryz, our Building & Grounds Chair, and her amazing group of volunteers, who spent last Saturday doing Spruce Up the School.  It is sincerely appreciated.  

GR. 8 RETREAT

Every year, the Grade 8 students have the opportunity to participate in a Grade 8 Religious Retreat. It is an important opportunity to acknowledge the students’ last year at St. Charles Catholic School and to prepare for the Grade 8 Farewell Mass in June. The theme for the Retreat this year was Growing in Faith through the work of the Holy Spirit. For a second year, the Donda Youth Group from St. Paul the Apostle Parish led the Retreat. It was held at St. Charles Parish and students participated in prayer activities, reflections, and games to develop their understanding of the theme. The youth leaders were amazing, and our students really enjoyed the day! Thank you to St. Charles Parish for allowing us to use your facility for our Retreat. (picture link)

Mrs. A. Prettie

WHAT’S COMING UP NEXT WEEK? Looking Ahead ……

• Tuesday our Middle Years students have Advisory groups.
• Wednesday is Subway lunch for those students who have ordered.
• Friday, representatives from St. Mary’s Academy and St. Paul’s High School will be here to speak with our Gr. 8 students about high school. 

NOT TOO FAR AWAY…

• Black & Orange Colour Day will be on October 31^st
• Late Middle Years assignments for Term 1 are due no later than November 4^th.
• Our annual St. Charles Day Assembly is happening on November 4^th.
• Power School will be closed to parents on November 8^th so teaching staff can enter marks for report cards.
• Remembrance Day Assembly will be held on November 9^th @ 10:30am in our main gym.  Parents/guardians are welcome to attend.
• Our Bingo Fundraiser will be held on November 10^th at St. Paul the Apostle Parish.  More details to follow.
• No school on November 11^th for Remembrance Day.
• Lifetouch Picture Re-take Day is on November 15^th.
• The PAC Meeting will be held on November 16^th @ 6:30pm.
• Our Grs. 1, ½, & 2 students will be going to the Manitoba Museum on November 18^th.
• Our next School Mass will be held on November 22^nd. 

BASC

• BASC opens at 7am, just text when at the door.
• For pickup it will take an extra minute for us to get to the doors as we are making sure students are dressed properly when leaving.
• There is BLINE on Monday.
• The Fall Craft is on Tuesday.
• BLINE is on Wednesday.
• Baking Cheesecake is on Thursday.
• November & December have a Winter, Snowy Season and Christmas Craft.
• November 10^th no school but it is full day BASC.
• No BASC Friday, November 11^th 

Forms ARE on the website, or I can send a copy home.
Thanks Kim

DO YOU NEED A FOB?

There will be many opportunities where parents may need a fob to enter the school for special circumstances/events. 

Fobs are $20.00 and must be paid for before they are received.  There is also a form which must be filled out. If you are interested in receiving a fob, please come into the front office to order, pre-pay, and complete the form.  Fobs are only created once payment is received.

BOOK FAIR

Tonight is the last night for in-school shopping at the BookFair. We are open until 7:30pm. We’ve benefited with excellent participation by our SCCS community, both via shopping and volunteering. Thank you so much!

Our Virtual BookFair is still available for on-line shopping tomorrow, the 21^st, in the event that you need any last minute items.

https://virtualbookfairs.scholastic.ca/pages/5181242

Your support is greatly appreciated, thanks again

The BookFair Committee

VIP HOURS

Have you done some VIP hours already?  Are you looking where to log them?  Here is the Permission Click link.  This link can also be found on our school website in the ParentZone, for your convenience to log hours anytime during the school year.

https://permission.click/1KrqQ/ca

NEW DROP-OFF LOCATION ON ST. CHARLES AND SANSOME

Last Tuesday, parents of our older students, (Grs. 4-8), had the option to drop your child off further down St. Charles Street at Sansome Avenue. (West side of St. Charles Street) This is to help with the parking congestion in the mornings.

Parents can turn right on Sansome Avenue, drop their son/daughter off, and continue toward Gagnon Street to loop back to Portage Avenue.  Students can proceed down St. Charles Street to cross the street at the patrols at Augier Avenue and St. Charles Street.

Please know that adult supervision is provided beginning at 8:15am each day.

If you would like to volunteer to help supervise this corner, please sign up on the link below.  It’s great volunteer hours!  😊

LINK TO VOLUNTEER FOR DROPOFF SUPERVISION for Grades 4-8 West Side of Sansome Ave. & St. Charles St.

God our strength, with you on our side, we can do anything.  With you at our side, we can go anywhere.  With you in our midst, we can be free.  Thank you, God, for giving us the courage to deal with the unknowns in life.  Amen.

Wishing you a terrific long weekend!
See you on Monday!
Tammy

Principal’s Weekly Update

Give thanks in all circumstances. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

LET’S LOOK AT THIS WEEK IN REVIEW:

• Monday morning the Public Health nurses were here to do immunizations for many of our Middle Years students.
• Tuesday, our Middle Years students had Enrichment classes.
• Tuesday, our Gr. 4 students began their day with their Bible Retreat.  Tuesday evening, they celebrated this special event with their families at their Gr. 4 Bible Celebration evening.  A very special thank you to all the Grs. 1, 1-2, & 2 classroom reps and families, who hosted this wonderful celebration that evening.  Wonderful memories were created!
• Wednesday was Pizza Pizza lunch for those students who ordered.
• Some of our Middle Years students participated in a Cross-Country Meet on Thursday after school at Crescent Drive Park.  Congratulations to all our students!  They did very well at the meet.  Go Chargers!
• Staff had their annual meeting with our Blue Cross representative Thursday after school.
• Friday, we began our day with our annual Holy Childhood Association Assembly hosted by our KL and Grs. 3-4 students, Mrs. Laufer, and Ms. Langlois.   Our students learned that by praying for and sponsoring children in Papau New Guinea, they can become members of this important organization, even from far away.  Thank you to everyone who helped with this assembly, especially our KL and Gr. 3-4 students who led the assembly, and our MY’s choir students.
• Today was also The Dream Factory Colour Day for $2.00.  It was a huge success and students/staff had a great time dressing for their dream destination!

WHAT’S COMING UP NEXT WEEK?

• Monday is Thanksgiving.  There is no school and no BASC.
• Tuesday is Enrichment for our Middle Years students.
• Wednesday I will be going to the Archdiocese office for my Administrator’s Meeting with our Superintendent. 
• Wednesday is also Subway Lunch Day for those students who have ordered.
• Wednesday Mrs. Gregorchuk and Miss Kynman are hosting a Music Information Evening for parents who have children in Grs. 3-8.  Come and learn more about the violin!
• Old Dutch Chips Fundraiser pick-up is on Thursday, October 13^th from 3:00-6:00pm.
• Friday is the Gr. 8 Retreat for our Gr. 8 students.
• Friday is also Popcorn Day $1.00 for any students who are interested in participating.  This Popcorn Day goes to support the children in Papua New Guinea for the Holy Childhood Association.  Please make sure to order your popcorn by Thursday.

LOOKING AHEAD…

• Book Fair Week begins the week of October 17^th.
• Parent Teacher Interviews will be held on October 19^th & October 20^th. They will be in person this year.
• No school on October 21^st, as it is MTS PD Day for staff.
• Black & Orange Colour Day will be on October 31^st.

BASC

• There is no BASC on Monday. 
• There is Golf on Tuesday, last class. 
• There is Cheer & POM on Tuesday 
• There is BLINE on Wednesday. 
• The Halloween Craft is on Thursday. 
• There are a few spots left in Curling and Full Day BASC but you must be registered by Tuesday, Oct 11^th.  

Reminder for all BASC drop off or pickup, please text when at the front door.   
Thanks Kim

POPCORN DAY

October 14^th is our first HCA Popcorn Day! All proceeds from the Holy Childhood Association Popcorn Days with be donated to support the country of:  Papua New Guinea (PNG).  The Holy Childhood Association (HCA) is supporting Elementary Education in the Diocese of Wabag, Enga Province, Papua New Guinea. We will be helping people involved with the teaching of Religious Education in parishes and elementary schools.  Thank you in advance for your support.  Together we can make a difference!  

Popcorn is $1.00. Teachers will collect the money by Thursday. Popcorn will be handed out on Friday. Sorry but no orders will be accepted on Friday. 

WE NEED YOUR HELP

St. Charles has an amazing opportunity to help children and youth in Northern Communities in Manitoba. The organization is asking for gently used winter jackets, ski pants, toques, mittens, winter boots, and gently used books. If you have any donations, please bring them into school by October 20th.  Boxes will be available in the front foyer for collections.

VIP HOURS

Have you done some VIP hours already?  Are you looking where to log them?  Here is the Permission Click link.  This link can also be found on our school website in the ParentZone, for your convenience to log hours anytime during the school year.

https://permission.click/1KrqQ/caend

SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR

We’re excited to announce our Scholastic Book Fair is coming! You can shop from hundreds of items in-person or online through our Virtual Book Fair extension. Our Fair is open from October 17^th to October 20^th and all purchases help us earn new resources for our school! Please Mark Your Calendars! (Please CLICK LINK for more information)

LINK TO VOLUNTEER FOR THE SCHOLASTIC TIME MACHINE BOOK FAIR OCTOBER 2022

ST. CHARLES CATHOLIC SCHOOL – OLD DUTCH CHIPS FUNDRAISER

Chip Pick Up Date: Thursday, October 13^th, ​2022​, between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. at the school’s front doors

Any questions or concerns, please email: chipfundraiser@stccs.ca

SPRUCE UP THE SCHOOL

LINK TO VOLUNTEER FOR SPRUCE UP THE SCHOOL SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2022

RAFFLE TICKET STUBS

Just a reminder raffle ticket stubs are to be returned to the school between October 11^th and 24^th in order for them to be included in the draw.  They can be dropped off at the mailbox in front of the school or given to your child’s teacher .

CHOCOLATES AND RAFFLE TICKETS

Need more chocolates/raffle tickets? Volunteers will be distributing chocolates/raffle tickets on Oct 13 from 3pm -5:30pm. This is also for parents that have not yet picked up for this year.

Gracious God, you are always with us in all we do. 
You guide and watch over us as we grow.

Teach us to always show our deepest appreciation to you, who have given us life and the opportunity to share it.

May we have ever thankful hearts.
Amen.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! 

See you on Tuesday.

Tammy

Principal’s Update

Dear SCCS Families,

Here we are!  Our last official school day of the 2021-2022 school year!  It’s been an amazing year, with lots of unique challenges and successes.  Watching our students grow all year has been a gift, and one which we would not trade for anything!  Thank you for trusting us with your child(ren) this year.  Our students are second to none.

As we head into summer holidays, I want to wish all of you a very happy, relaxing summer. I hope you can take this time to rejuvenate and make some amazing family memories.  Let’s hope for lots of sunshine too.

If your son/daughter forgot to pick up their medication from the front office today, please know that the front office staff will be here tomorrow from 8:00-4:00pm.  Also, one of our Gr. 6 students is missing a violin, so please check to make sure that you didn’t take home the wrong one, and if you did, please let the front office know as soon as possible.  Thank you.  😊

It is that time of year when I can announce that there will be some staffing changes for the 2022-2023 school year.  They are as follows:

• Mrs. Kathy Lalonde is leaving SCCS after many years. She is going to be working on building a band program in her other school division, which is an amazing opportunity for her!  We wish her all the best as she moves forward with this new opportunity.  She will be missed.
• We say good-bye to Ms. Rebecca Lerner and Ms. Claire Tompkins, as they leave their term positions at SCCS.  We will miss you and wish you both all the best.
• We also wish all the best to Mrs. Heba Farg and Ms. Jocelyn Froese, our two Educational Assistants.  Good luck to you both, and we wish you all the best too.

I’d like to welcome two new staff members to the SCCS community next year.  A big welcome to Mrs. Joanne Mulvena, who will be taking over Mrs. Boughton’s maternity leave as Resource teacher sometime in September, and Ms. Kelsey Copeland, who will be our second Gr. 6 teacher next year.  Check out their bios to learn more about them.

Hi, my name is Joanne Mulvena and I am very excited to join the St Charles school community in September as the resource teacher. I have been a teacher for 23 years. Throughout these years I have assumed various roles that include classroom teacher K-12, resource teacher, vice-principal, and principal.  It is my passion to work with children and to support them in reaching their full potential. I am a wife, mother, nana, sister and daughter and my family is extremely important. My husband and I enjoy travelling and have been to Europe and the Caribbean. I am looking forward to beginning my role and creating new friendships and relationships.

Hello, St. Charles, Catholic School Community. My name is Kelsey Copeland and I am very excited to be joining the teaching staff at St. Charles Catholic School this September. I love teaching middle school students and am excited to be back there after a year of teaching fourth grade. Now I will give you some information about myself. I am a huge believer in physical activity helping the brain function best both academically and emotionally. As such I consider myself to be a very active person. I am a member of Manitoba Fusion, a rhythmic gymnastics team that is training to perform at the Canadian National Gymnaestrada this July in Edmonton as well as next July and August in Amsterdam for the World Gymnaestrada. I also enjoy boxing and am trying to train to eventually run a race. I love spending time outside at my cabin especially reading during the summer as it is a way I relax and unwind. I value time spent with my family and love enjoying a good barbecue with them. Finally, I am a huge crafter, whether it be knitting, cross stitching, or creating shirts or cups on my Cricut I love to have a creative outlet. I am looking forward to September to get to know and become a part of the St. Charles Catholic School Community. To the future grade 6, 7 and 8 students and families I am looking forward to being your teacher and can’t wait to see what you will accomplish this coming year! 

SAVE THE DATE

Please save the date: September 9th, 3-6pm SCCS Welcome BBQ. This will be an opportunity to meet the teachers, staff and board of directors as well as connect with parents and classroom reps.  This will also be the tentative date for chocolate bar and raffle pick up. More details to come in the new school year.”

The staff is looking forward to their summer holidays with much excitement!  Please note that they will not be responding to emails over the summer so that they can get some rest and relaxation and spend some much-needed time with their families.  Thank you for your understanding.

I too, am looking forward to doing the same thing, and will not be responding to emails until the office officially opens again on August 23rd.  I thank you in advance for your consideration and understanding in this matter.  Please note, that I will send out a communication email prior to school starting at the end of August, with details what you will need to know to start the new school year.

For those families, students, and staff, who are moving on from our SCCS community, we wish you all the best!  You have been an important part of this community, and we know that you will take part of us with you as you begin your new adventures.  Stay safe and remember that we would love to hear from you and know how you are doing!

On behalf of all the staff at SCCS, I wish you and your family a wonderful summer and we look forward to seeing you back in September!

God bless you all,

Tammy

Principal’s Weekly Update – September 10th, 2021

This month shall mark for you the beginning of months.  (Exodus 12:2)

Welcome back to all our returning families and staff, and a very special welcome to all our new families and staff!  We are so happy to welcome everyone to the SCCS community after a wonderful summer break! .

Each Friday, I will send out my Principal’s Weekly Update.  It will be full of information and is a good resource to have.  I hope that you will enjoy reading them each week.  I will also send out communication regarding the pandemic via email as it becomes necessary to share information with families.  My goal is to keep you as informed as possible about what is going on in the building, and your child(ren)’s education.

What a fantastic first week we’ve had!  The energy and excitement in the building is wonderful to see.  Walking around the building you can already see the classroom routines being put in place, and the learning has begun.  It is so exciting to see!  Students are happy to be back in school, seeing their friends, meeting new ones, and establishing their new school year routines.

The staff started back to school officially on Sept. 7^th.  It was a full day of meetings; however, we were very happy to begin our new year with a Staff Mass celebrated with our Corporate Board Chair, Fr. Eric.  Our Board Chair Robyn Powell, also visited with staff in the afternoon, to welcome them back to school.

Students returned on Sept. 8^th.  We had our virtual Welcome Back to School Assembly, and our Middle Years students also had an extra virtual assembly that afternoon to go over items strictly meant for their grade levels.  Mrs. Prettie and I then had the opportunity to visit each of the classrooms to welcome students to school.  The day flew by quickly for everyone!

Thank you to all students and parents for using the assigned cohort doors for this school year. It’s so nice to see other students helping both their peers and parents find where their cohort doors are located.

Our Kinder students began their staggered start this week, after meeting 1:1 with their classroom teacher on Wednesday.  They had an opportunity to go on a tour of our school.  We’re looking forward to Friday, Sept. 17^th, when they will all come together for the very first time as a class.  Kindergarten parents please note:  On Friday, September 17^th, please join us outside in front of the school for a meet and greet with Administration. Coffee will be from 8:35-9:30am.  We’d love to see you!

Fr. Michael came by last week to bless each classroom and office. His plan is to return once students are settled to share a special blessing in each homeroom. We certainly appreciate him taking the time to do the blessings.  This is a tradition which has been going on for many years at St. Charles. 

If you haven’t already, make sure that you check out our St. Charles Catholic School pages on Facebook!  There are some back-to-school pictures that have been posted on this page.  The link is on our website, and friend requests from our school community are accepted often!

LET’S LOOK AHEAD AT SOME UPCOMING EVENTS

KINDER PARENT COFFEE AND COMMUNITY

Kindergarten parents are invited to join Administration on Friday, September 17^th, for coffee outside the main front school doors from 8:40am-9:30am. 

PAC MEETING

Our first PAC (Parent Association Meeting) of the new school year will be done virtually via Zoom.  It will be held on Wednesday, September 15^th at 7:00pm.  A Zoom link will be sent out to all SCCS families on Monday, September 13^th.  Please feel free to join our PAC Chair, Lee-Anne Brewer.

FALL WINNIPEG HARVEST FOOD DRIVE

Beginning Monday, September 20^th until October 8^th, SCCS will be collecting non-perishable food items for Winnipeg Harvest.  Students may bring their items to school starting September 20^th and place their items in the bins in our front foyer. 

LIFETOUCH PHOTO DAY

School photos will be taken on Monday, September 20^th, beginning at 9:00am.

MEET THE TEACHER EVENING

Our annual Meet the Teacher Evening will be held virtually on Wednesday, September 22^nd.  More information will follow next week, along with a Zoom link. We hope you can join us.

TERRY FOX DAY/CHRISTIAN SERVICE DAY

Our annual Terry Fox Day/Christian Service Day will be held on Friday, September 24^th.

Hello St. Charles Families! This year we will be participating in our annual Terry Fox Walk/Run on Friday, September 24^th, 2021. Once again, this year we will have the opportunity to donate for this great cause online through our own schools’ fundraising page! The link can be found below. This year our goal is to raise 1 dollar for every student in attendance at St. Charles!  Let’s all do our best and “Try Like Terry” and make this the most successful Terry Fox Run Walk/Run we have had at St. Charles Catholic School!

Donation link: http://www.terryfox.ca/StCharlesCatholicSchoolWinnipeg

Thanks,

Mr. Bourquin (K-4 Phys. Ed. specialist)

ORANGE SHIRT DAY

Please note: Due to Thursday, September 30^th being declared the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation, our Orange Shirt Day will be held on Wednesday, September 29^th at SCC

A BIG WELCOME PRIVATE MUSIC LESSON FAMILIES TO THE 2021-2022 ST. CHARLES P.M.L. YEAR!

Our Fabulous Conservatory Music Instructors are so excited to be back in person with all the students for the beginning of our PML year.Our PML program will begin in a couple of weeks starting the week of Tuesday September 21st – 23^rd/21. 

***IMPORTANT – Please check your email for an official PML greetings with startup information. If you did not receive this important start up email for PML lessons, please Contact the PML Coordinator – Mrs. Kathy Lalonde so that you can be added to our group contact list. klalonde@stccs.ca 

VIP HOURS / CHILD ABUSE REGISTRY CHECK FORMS

If you plan on volunteering within our school; in class or for any school functions or field trips, a Child Abuse Registry Check form must be completed, processed, and approved every school year.  These applications generally take at least 6 weeks to be processed by the Child Abuse Registry Check office in downtown Winnipeg (once the bulk of them are submitted) and returned to our school. Child Abuse Registry Check forms need to be completed each and every school year by family members PRIOR to any volunteering;  NO EXCEPTIONS.  Forms will be sent home in backpacks within the next week or so. Please complete the form(s), date and sign each page where necessary, ignore the 3^rd page (but leave it attached) re. payment as there is NO cost to you. Provide copies of or send an email to reception@stccs.ca with photos of the 2 pieces of ID you have chosen to note on your form and return your completed form(s) to the school via your child’s backpack or the mailbox next to the Front Entrance Doors of the school. Should any information be missing from your application, it will be sent back to you to fill in the missing information. Having your Child Abuse Registry Check completed now ensures that we have volunteers available and ready to go should in-school volunteering be permitted during the school year.

BASC NEWS

Welcome back to BASC everyone.

Just a few reminders:

• Please text me in the mornings when you are on the sidewalk as we are still attending to other students.
• When picking up students after school please make sure we can see you.  This is for safety reasons.
• Please leave all BASC & Lunch forms with payment in the mailbox as teachers do not have time to check backpacks each day. The mailbox is checked a few times a day.
• To see pics of your child in BASC, check out the BASC Instagram.
• Please make sure to be filling out the monthly BASC form as we need to know how many students we have in each cohort.
• There is no BASC on September 30^th.

If you have any questions or concerns about BASC please do not hesitate to contact me at 204-880-8245. Thank you, Kim

Spirit of wisdom, help us to remember that we are made in God’s image and that we have the responsibility to cherish our lives as God’s gift to each of us.  Gracious God, you have gifted to us the gift of our humanity.  May we use our gifts to create schools where love and justice reign and where wisdom and responsibility can be seen in our actions.  Amen.

As we begin this school year, please remember that my door is always open, and if you need to contact me, my email is tnarynski@stccs.ca  My office number is 204-837-1520 ext. 222. 

My hope is that we have an amazing year, filled with God’s blessings. May we remember to support each other, communicate with each other, and be kind to one another. 

Enjoy your weekend, and I look forward to seeing you all next week!

Tammy